Hello and welcome to my Blog on LIVEJOURNAL.COM. This is the place I hang out at the most and comment on the most. I've been on Livejournal since 1999, but this journal is one I've had since 2001.

If you have a Livejournal account you can friend me, you can also watch my journal, and anyone can RSS feed my entries. If you do not have an account you cannot read private posts, but you can get an account for free by simply signing up.

You can post a comment even without being a Livejournal member. You can login with multiple identity accounts, such as Facebook, and reply to my entries. I cover a lot of ground here, from movies, to TV, to personal, to wine, to social commentary, and more. I am not a one trick pony, not at all.

Pico de gallo (PEE/koh theh GAH/yoh): In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca, is a fresh, uncooked salad made from chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, fresh serranos, salt, and key lime juice. Kroger has a plain version in the produce aisle (Kroger Renaissance Food Group - Rfg Foods) that is not saucy and is perfect for this recipe. Walmart stocks a brand that is very saucy and is not great for cooking with.

I use Joan of Arc brand goat cheese that is available at Kroger. They have many different flavor varieties to choose from.

Directions:

Preheat a saute or omelet pan to just over medium (setting 6) while you are dicing up the veggies. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Add olive oil (1-2 tablespoons), coat, then add the Pico de gallo and saute for 6-8 min. In the last 2 minutes add the goat cheese to the pan and mix it in with the mushrooms and veggies.

Remove the veggies to a bowl and then pour the eggs into the pan. When the eggs are mostly done add the Mozzarella cheese to the top to one side. When the cheese begins to melt add the veggie mix on top and gently fold. Let it sizzle for 30 seconds and give it some light presses with a spatula. Transfer to a plate.

Done.

It is very tasty! :)

Tags:

Please don't let the Donald Trump caucus wins scare you into voting for Hillary Clinton to stop his crazy train from making it all the way to the white house. Vote for Bernie Sanders. Hillary is as bad as Trump is, but keeps it to herself. Don't forget that it was Bill Clinton who advised Donald Trump to run for President. I am sure Bill didn't know Trump would get this far but both Clinton's figured that any disruption in the GOP would benefit Hillary's campaign.

I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. Never. I will write-in Bernie Sanders if he doesn't get the nomination. I do not trust the DNC anymore to make sure the person we want is nominated. I will not be forced into voting for Hillary just to make sure Trump doesn't get into office.

If Trump does somehow win, shame on America. I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. I will not choose between two evils. I will always vote for who I believe is needed for the country. I will not be blackmailed by fear and loathing.

Tags:

For those of you who do not know, I live with my 82-year-old father. I've lived with him for a long long long time. Sometimes I feel I've always lived with him. *sighs*

When I had my heart attack and was in the hospital for 6 days my father took it upon himself to go into my room and throw out my cigarettes, my ashtray, my perfectly good blanket, and also gathered up all the clothes I had in a basket and took those clothes to... not to a laundromat service... but to a dry cleaner.

...

...

...

The ellipsis above (times 3) is my reaction to all of this when I got home. What followed was me yelling quite a bit. My father has always done this kind of thing but I thought I broke him of that years ago. He used to gather up my clothes and take them to be dry cleaned when I was out to work or out of town... then present me with the bill. Most of my clothes, the vast majority of what I wear, are not dry clean only clothes. It used to drive me mad, let me tell you!

This time he tossed out my cigarettes and ashtray. That ticked me off. He tossed out a blanket I had for many years that was in perfect condition and replaced it with a completely different new comforter, which I don't care for. It is not a blanket, it is a comforter. Not the same thing at all.

The clothes he took to the dry cleaner were mostly pants that I had put in a basket because I needed to have them repaired. The other things he took the dry cleaner were basic shirts, tee-shirts, and sweat pants. Sweat pants! $79 dollars in dry cleaning and the bill was presented to me. I told him it was his treat because I was not going to pay for something I never asked him to take in.

I also made him give me the $20 for the cigarettes. I should have had him take the comforter back and give me the money for the blanket and ashtray, but those were both old so I can't do more than complain.

I know he thought he was doing me a favor, but to me it was not a favor. It was an intrusion. He used to do this kind of thing all the time and me and my family have had to pay the price. Oh, when he had money he used to do some things like this and never ask for money. Now that he is on a fixed income he wants that money for doing something you never asked him for. Like borrowing my or my sister's car and noticing there is a problem with 2 or more tires and deciding on his own to have them replaced and then presenting you with the bill and putting his hand out for the money.

...

You know how to break people like that of the habit? Refuse to pay them. It won't stop them from going into your area and looking around, but it will stop them from doing too much that will cost you money. It is an intrusion, not a favor. It is a busy-body thing, not a favor. It is unwanted and unasked for help that is not help at all, nor a favor.

*sighs*

If you are one of this kind of person, you are not appreciated. Don't do anything without asking the person first. We might smile with gritted teeth and thank you, but behind that smile we are fuming. We don't appreciate it and actually hate it. If we wanted it done we'd have done it ourselves or asked for that help. We never asked for it. Don't do, touch, move, or take, anything, ever. Ever!

I went to the first appointment for Cardio Rehab yesterday. It was mostly paperwork. There was a six minute walking test, but no other exercise. All factors were good for me to start, but I cannot begin until after I see my cardiologist next week. Once he does all the tests to make sure the stents are working I can begin the process;

I have had body pains, back and muscle issues, and pin-point pains that need to be assessed and analyzed first. It might be the stents, might be my heart, or it could be side-effects of all the medications I am on causing these body issues. It might be subconscious anxiety. It is hard to tell, let me tell you! ;P

I will just have to wait and see.

I have quit caffeine. It might be withdrawal from that. I have been a life-long heavy coffee drinker, the all-day-long kind of fellow. That could be part of my problems, but how can one tell for sure. Only my doctor can tell me and I have to wait for that.

*chuckle*

Ah. Life. Getting older sometimes sucks.

;)

Tags:

All things will not suddenly change for the better if Bernie Sanders gets elected President. He will have to fight for 4-8 years against other politicians and the Republican majority you folks put into power. He will have to scratch and dig for everything he wants and what most of what WE seem to really want. There will be no "suddenly" about it. Electing Bernie Sanders will be just the beginning of a long fight that will take both terms of office and the following President to enact and for the change most of us seem to want. It will be just the start. Please remember that if and when Bernie Sanders is elected President. There is no "magical pill" to fix all of our problems in this country.

Me, I want Bernie Sanders to win. I also want Elizabeth Warren as VP the first 2 terms and have her elected as President after Bernie's time as President is over. We need someone like him in office now and also we need serious changes in the DNC. We need them. Our kids need them for the future. We need major social change now before it is far too late.

Tags:

I went in this morning to my GP for my first appointment after the heart attack. My BP was 114/78 and my pulse was 71; This is what they term an "ideal" reading.

I am still having body pains and aches and slight numbness in my left shoulder and left back, but these could be side-effects of some of my medications or part of my subconscious anxiety problems. Still, I was having similar pains before I went to the cardiologist last year. Depression and stress can effect your heart too and during the last 6 months I have had several severe bouts of depression. When I next see my cardiologist I am going to talk to him about all of these issues.

I dropped about 10 pounds since leaving the hospital 10 days ago. I've mostly cut out all caffeine. I am really cutting back on the smoking, trying to wean myself down enough to be able to stop. I am watching my eating, portion size, sodium intake, and fat/bad cholesterol. I am also walking more. I am... trying.

One day at a time, brothers and sisters. One day at a time.

Sadly, though, without Valerie Bertinelli in my life. ;p

Tags:

Another good healthy omelet is one made with Pica de gallo. You can make if fresh from scratch or you might be able to find it at your local grocery. It's probably healthier to make it yourself because you can control the salt by leaving it out or using another spice.

Pico de gallo: In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca, is a fresh, uncooked salad made from chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, fresh serranos, salt, and key lime juice.

To make it use the basic process from my other omelet recipe, replacing the other veggies with the Pico de gallo. Adding some diced ham will, of course, make it better, but I am staying away from pork right now. You don't HAVE to heat the Pico de Gallo, but I do to make it all nice and hot. You can add cheese or not too. Pico de gallo works well with other compliments, but you don't need them.

Preheat a saute or omelet pan to just over medium (setting 6) while you are dicing up the veggies. Me, I use one pan for the veggies and an omelet pan for the omelet, so I heat both pans simultaneously. Add the veggies to the pan. Add olive oil (1-2 tablespoons), coat, and saute veggies for 8-10 min. You might want to add the eggplant first to coat before adding the other ingredients.

When the veggies are done (eggplant brown, soft, and heated) turn off the burner. Either remove the veggies to a holding plate or use the olive oil to coat the second pan (or use non-stick spray for coating and color) and pour in the 2 well-mixed eggs. These will cook very quickly so keep an eye on the top yoke.

You know the rest. But in case you do not, when the eggs are mostly cooked on the top, salt and pepper lightly, add the veggies to one side of the omelet and sprinkle on the cheese. Carefully fold the other side over the veggies and place the finished omelet on a plate. Let it sit for a minute or two.

Done.

You do not need the cheese or onions. You can even replace the tomatoes with onions. The omelet will still taste good. You can season the egg or the veggies. It's really a taste thing. Some people prefer more flavor to the eggs, others prefer more flavor to the veggies. You decide what you like best.

Some people prefer to leave the eggplant skin on. I remove it when I am sauting diced eggplant for the omelet because it takes a lot longer for the skin to become completely tender. It looks better with the skin on, but I guess my teeth are not sharp enough anymore to masticate less tender eggplant skin. I am getting older. ;)

Eggplant is very good for you, apparently. Very healthy. Lots of health benefits. And, it is easy to cook. So go ahead and try it. Some people find they have an odd reaction to eggplant. If that is the case then make sure to roast/bake the eggplant without skin instead of sauteing.

AND, if you'd prefer a healthier omelet use just the egg whites and increase the eggs to 3. Me, I like the yoke so I add 1 full egg and 2 egg whites. I get a yellow omelet and some of the flavor of the yoke. Nice!

Anyhoo. So there it is. It tastes good to me. :)

Mark

Current Mood: hungry

Tags:

On 2/2/16 I was taken to the E.R. and it was discovered I was having a heart attack. I did not know it was a heart attack; The pain was in my shoulder joints and elbows. It was very painful, but I thought it might be a side effect of my high blood pressure medication or perhaps some form of rheumatoid arthritis, or even an allergic reaction to something I ate. Nope! It was a heart attack.

I stayed 6 days in the hospital during which time they put in 3 stents in one artery. It seems my lower artery was completely blocked and I was having blood clotting issues that required them to go in through my groin to my heart on two different days. The second time was when they put in the stents.

The funny thing is that I was due to go back to my cardiologist next month for an Stress Test/EKG/Echo-cardiogram, something I had done a year ago. A year ago I was fine, no blockages, partial or not, discovered. I have no clue why in less than one year an artery had clogged completely. It could have been due to chain smoking or binge eating a few times a month on bad-for-you food, or inactivity - or all and more.

The real truth of the matter is I've probably been having heart attacks for many months. On the Sunday before I went to the E.R. I was having the same pains that lasted for hours, but I just waited the pain out and took a pain killer. I had no idea that it was a heart attack because my heart or chest never hurt during the attack. I kind of think now that I could not feel my chest hurting because the pain in my shoulders and elbow joints was so intense that it overwhelmed the other pain.

So begins my long recovery. I have a lot of changes I need to make to my life and in my life. I begin cardio-rehab next week, am on many medications now, and I am really making an effort to stop smoking. I need to make that change ASAP. It's hard, but I need to quit. The habit is harder for me to stop than the lack of nicotine, but I am trying to break that habit.

Anyhoo. That is what is going on now with me. We'll see how it goes. Fingers crossed that there are no complications and that I can work myself back to health, or as healthy as I can be at my age. Fingers crossed. :)